Grant Partners
Sacred Birthing Village
Sacred Birthing Village (SBV) works to improve maternal and infant health in Southeastern Massachusetts.
SBV will train diverse individuals as doulas across Greater New Bedford to provide more support for birthing people in their communities.
It Takes a Village
The mission of It Takes a Village is to empower families and strengthen communities by providing the tools needed to break cycles of isolation and poverty.
It Takes a Village (ITAV) and the Green River Doula Network (GRDN) will expand community-led perinatal education and support services for historically marginalized families across Western Massachusetts.
Accompany Doula Care
Accompany Doula Care works to integrate community doula support within health care systems and clinical teams, enhancing the birthing experience and equitable health outcomes by centering the client’s voice.
Accompany Doula Care will partner with Health Leads to create a cross-sector workgroup (including providers, hospitals and other stakeholders) to increase equitable maternal health outcomes by focusing on hospitals’ readiness and acceptability of doulas in care teams.
Worcester Address Childhood Trauma
The mission of Worcester Addresses Childhood Trauma is to provide usable, accurate, and relevant community mental health education and support.
Using findings from the Community Health Needs Assessment and City Wide Black and Brown Maternal Health Plan, they will deliver culturally responsive perinatal health education.
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) supports children and families with direct services and state-level advocacy to ensure that there is a voice for children in the legislature.
MSPCC will host the Mind the Gap Coalition -- a statewide group of health care and community-based organizations, other nonprofits, mental health and maternity care providers, survivors of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs), and other advocates working to improve state policies impacting perinatal mental health (PMH) within MSPCC. The two will work together to expand MSPCC’s advocacy and policy work to support prenatal to postnatal well-being.
Berkshire Nursing Families
The mission of Berkshire Nursing Families (BNF) is to enhance the health of families through the support of breastfeeding and all feeding journeys, infant nutrition, and positive parenting.
BNF will deliver workshops and perinatal education, integrate perinatal mental health supports into their services; and train staff to serve as Certified Lactation Counselors, with a focus on communities of color
Worcester RISE for Health
Worcester RISE for Health is dedicated to eliminating barriers to health equity for refugee and immigrant communities through culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and community-led care.
Funding will help strengthen the workforce pathways for doulas who reflect the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the community through professional development, training, and sustainability of doulas.
Nantucket Community School
The mission of the is to engage, strengthen, and connect community.
The Nantucket Community School will expand access to childbirth education by increasing class availability, cultural responsiveness, and affordability for expectant families on Nantucket.
Family Health Center of Worcester
The Family Health Center of Worcester’s (FHCW) mission is to improve the health and well-being of all residents in the Greater Worcester area, especially culturally diverse populations.
FHCW will expand the capacity of its “OB Advocates” program which uses a case management model for all pregnant individuals from prenatal to two years post-partum. The one-on-one support will be supplemented by group programs.
Family Nurturing Center, Inc.
Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts (FNC) has been dedicated to building nurturing communities where children are cherished, families are supported, and healthy human development is promoted by all.
FNC will deliver perinatal community education and supports through home visiting, parent-child groups, development screenings and by providing resources to families.
The Neighborhood Birth Center
The Neighborhood Birth Center (NBC) believes that people living in and around Boston should have access to a full range of pregnancy care and birthing options and improved health outcomes.
NBC will educate public health experts, policy makers, and payers regarding issues to advance midwifery education, workforce development, and access to birth centers, with a focus on equitable reimbursement.
First Teacher
First Teacher is a community of parents and caregivers working together to prepare all our children for success. First Teacher seeks to actively dispel the myth that Black and Brown children need to be saved; rather, their powerful parents need to be supported and loved through a powerful community that, together, fights systems which may harm children.
This grant will allow First Teacher to embed year-round English and Spanish perinatal health programming into the organization’s services.
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC)provides new immigrants, especially Asians, with the support and resources needed to thrive in the U.S. BCNC ensures that the children, youth, and families they serve have the resources and support they need to achieve greater economic success and social well-being.
BCNC will work to improve maternal mental health outcomes and increase culturally competed care for Asian immigrant families. They will provide the Parenthood and ME program for Chinese-speaking families during prenatal and post-partum periods when birthing people are at elevated risk for depression.
North Quabbin Health Collaborative
The North Quabbin Health Collaborative’s (NQHC) mission is to bring trained public health professionals and services to rural communities that face long-standing barriers to equitable care.
Funding will support one-to-one nurse visits for families across NQHC’s five towns focused on families historically excluded from postpartum care, particularly in rural and structurally marginalized communities.
Greater Lowell Health Alliance of CHNA 10
The Alliance’s Maternal-Child Health Task Force focuses on bringing together key stakeholders to
address the most pressing health issues related to pregnant people and their families.
The Alliance will expand upon their Doula Academy by training more doulas who reflect the
community, launching a mentorship program for current doulas, and piloting a referral system.